Beer-maker Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) and East Africa Maltings plans to generate electricity to back up the unreliable supply by Kenya Power & Lighting Company Plc.
In a notice, the two subsidiaries of East Africa Breweries Limited said they intend to set up renewable energy generators at Nairobi and Kisumu plants.
The East African Malting plans to set up a KVA generator at its Kampala Road plant with a capacity to generate 2.2 megawatts of electricity.
KBL on other hand plans to generate at least 9.3 megawatts at its Ruaraka plant and a 2.4-megawatt from solar power in Kisumu.
”The purpose of this power generation is for own use as a backup during power outages from the national electricity provider to ensure continuity of operations,” the brewer said.
More firms are riding on the Energy Act, 2019 that gives them the freedom to generate their own power, easing over reliance on Kenya Power, which many see as expensive and unreliable.
Direct selling of electricity
Kenya Electricity Generating Company Plc (KenGen) also announced plans to sell electricity directly to consumers. The move is buoyed by the Energy Act 2019 too.
Other firms that have announced intention to generate their own energy for consumption include: Kenya Ports Authority, Base Titanium and Mumias Sugar.
Other firms such as Total Kenya are embracing solar energy.
KPLC as a monopoly has had dismal performance for the past 5 years and there’s seems to be n end in sight.
The power utility firm reported an unaudited net loss of Sh2.98 billion in the financial year, according to a report by the National Treasury
Complaints by clients about high electricity bills have fallen on deaf ears, necessitating a mass move to solar panels.
Mismanagement is the bane of KPLC.
READ: KPLC’s pick for board chairperson is a criminal
Kenyan Business Feed is the top Kenyan Business Blog. We share news from Kenya and across the region. To contact us with any alert, please email us to [email protected]